Electro-autotrophic synthesis of higher alcohols

摘要

The disclosure provides a process that converts CO2 to higher alcohols (e.g. isobutanol) using electricity as the energy source. This process stores electricity (e.g. from solar energy, nuclear energy, and the like) in liquid fuels that can be used as high octane number gasoline substitutes. Instead of deriving reducing power from photosynthesis, this process derives reducing power from electrically generated mediators, either H2 or formate. H2 can be derived from electrolysis of water. Formate can be generated by electrochemical reduction of CO2. After delivering the reducing power in the cell, formate becomes CO2 and recycles back. Therefore, the biological CO2 fixation process can occur in the dark.

主权项

1. A recombinant microorganism capable of using H2 or formate for reduction of CO2 and wherein the microorganism produces an alcohol selected from the group consisting of 1-propanol, isobutanol, 1-butanol, 2-methyl 1-butanol, 3-methyl 1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol from CO2 as the carbon source, wherein the alcohol is produced from a metabolite comprising a 2-keto acid and wherein the microorganism comprises expression of a heterologous or overexpression of an endogenous carbon-fixation enzyme and heterologous or overexpression of a hydrogenase and/or formate dehydrogenase such that the microorganism can utilize H2 and/or formate as a reducing metabolite.